And that means gender parity in professional music is not where it should be, says Walkden.
“It’s still an industry where it’s not equal,” she said. “Musicians from Toronto do note [the all-women team] when they come here to play a show, because it is uncommon. I don’t deal with women very often in what I do, but that doesn’t mean we can’t do it, simply because we’re women.”
A concert set for Hermann’s on Sunday will illuminate the point. Timed to recognize International Women’s Day, which falls on Monday this year, the event was conceived by local singer Maria Manna as a showcase by, for and about the women who make a lot of their living playing music professionally in Victoria.